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Jay & Katrina Erickson

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Reading this article hit close to home because this sweet missionary couple that was killed a few days ago in a plane crash went to college at Moody Bible Institute in Spokane, another branch of the Bible school Shawn and I attended. I firmly believe they met Jesus face to face doing exactly what they were called to do.

I've posted the link to the article below because it's such a needed reminder that our time here is short, and it's amazing to see how the Lord was preparing them before their death. As Jay recently wrote,

"... there is nothing sad about the death of a Christian. The only sadness (and I do not intent to belittle this aspect) is in the loss of companionship by those left behind. And yet, to contrast this, the level of tragedy is so vast for the passing of an unbeliever."

The fact that this was Katrina's first time to accompany her husband on a flight...
the fact that they left two small children behind...
and the fact that they were doing so much good to so many people...
these befuddle our finite minds, but are no mystery to God.

As you read about them, pray for their children, families, and that God would be glorified.

6 comments:

My prayers go out to this sweet family. I cannot even begin to imagine what the children are feeling, and I pray for comfort and healing both now and in the future.Jay and Katrina's passion for the Lord is so inspiring... I'm sure they were a true blessing to those they ministered to and also a blessing to God!

Its crazy to me, too, how many people they were connected to. Probably about 5 bloggers I read including some local friends here in Seattle were connected to them in some way - their story of love and trust in faith is spreading far and wide.

just like the flight that happened in Nigeria on Sunday 3rd June. 153 passengers - no survivors - my friend and her 6 month old son were on the flight. All I can say is that sweet is the sleep of the righteous and we will meet them again - surely we will.

May the children these lovely couple have left behind grow to love and serve the king their parents died serving and May God perfect all that is concerning them.

Whitney, You have such a beautiful blog. You are a true artist. I also wanted to take a moment and thank you for sharing a part of Jay and Katrina's story on your blog. Jay is my brother-in-law, and as you can imagine, it has been a rather difficult week for our family. At the same time, God has used this event to His glory. If you don't mind, I would like to share a letter Lance (Jay's brother) wrote to our friends and family..."Hello Friends, This has been a week of intense sorrow coupled with overwhelming pride and bittersweet joy. As I got out of the plane after giving a flight lesson on Saturday, I received a call from my dad to tell me my brother Cameron Jay Erickson and his wife Katrina had died in a plane crash. We were very close to Jay and Katrina. Jay and I spent the last 6 years together in school preparing for service as mission pilots. In the beginning he lived in our house and at the end we lived in their house. Jay and Katrina had just begun serving at the Chitokoloi Mission hospital in Zambia. The accident has made international news and thousands gathered for the funeral yesterday as they became the 7th and 8th Erickson's to be buried in Africa as missionaries . The president of Zambia declared a national day of mourning in their honor. All flags were flown at half mast and all programs of entertainment were cancelled. An appropriate honor for them, but nothing compared to the reward they are receiving from the Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth. As I have reflected through many tears on my brothers life and death and the many testimonies that have been given of his life, I see over and over what I have always known. Jay believed God's word and he backed that belief up with action no matter the cost. Not just the nice part, that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ, but he believed the hard part, that man exists not for his own glory but to glorify God. That the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength, and that every command truly can be summed up in this, love you Neighbor as yourself. Jay and Katrina's great sacrifice was not in dying on the mission field. That was a terrible accident. Their sacrifice, and that only by the grace of God, was at every turning point through life where they said God's prestige is more important than ours, the means to help the hurting is more important than our comfort, the role we can play in relieving suffering is more important than the security of home and family. The need for people to know God is greater than our need for retirement, acceptance, entertainment, or safety. They were patient, kind, generous, and long suffering. It was not the incredible effectiveness of their missionary work in Africa that has made the news of their death so significant to so many, it was the priorities by which they lived that changed the world. So with terrible sorrow I say good by to my brother and Katrina with no regrets or if-onlys. God gave them the grace to see the truth clearly and live by it. They died together, in a place they dearly loved to be, doing what they loved for the one they loved. They were flying together into the sunset and in a moment they were with the one who's glory they had lived for. The one who loves them even more than I do.

They spent their lives on what matters most. God, by your grace, let us do the same."

Caroline, Wow. Thank you so much for your sweet response and for posting that precious, beautiful letter. I am praying for all of you and am so proud of Jay and Katrina not for how they died but for how they lived!

I just love reading every one of your comments...I've turned on comment moderation because of all the spam, so if you don't see your comment, just wait a short while until I approve it. If you leave a question for me, look for a response in the comments section!